


The Inspection

by Longitudinalwave



Series: Transformers: Roll Out [3]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Anxiety Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum, Disability, F/M, Original Character(s), Social Anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:34:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27753925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Longitudinalwave/pseuds/Longitudinalwave
Summary: Can Neutron and his team live up to the standards of the Autobot Council?
Relationships: Sonic/Jewel, Twister/Silver
Series: Transformers: Roll Out [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2030146





	1. Neutron

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thanks for checking out my story! 
> 
> This is the third part of the Transformers: Roll Out series, and it continues directly on from "Rough Edges".

Neutron ( _ Prime _ , he was a Prime now) sat alone at Arduum Prime’s desk, trying not to panic. As if being appointed leader of an entire army, having to give orders to two former superior officers, and being responsible for the well-being of three completely inexperienced recruits (one of whom was older than him) wasn’t stressful enough, the Autobot Council had had to pick now to carry out its annual inspection of the Earth Unit. If he and his team didn’t meet the standards of whatever inspector the council sent out, he and his team would be dishonorably discharged from the Autobot Army and forcibly removed from Earth. He couldn’t let that happen! Not only would it leave Earth unprotected from the Decepticons, but it would devastate Twister and Silver, who had devoted a significant portion of their lives to the Autobot cause. But how could he possibly live up to the Council’s standards? He was less than a stellar cycle into adulthood, he’d barely been in a battle that was bigger than a skirmish, and he had lived his entire life in the shadow of his older brother, the famous war hero, and his adoptive creator, the previous Prime. He had always been “the Prime’s adopted son” or “General Twister’s little brother”; he’d never done anything important or noteworthy himself. The inspector would probably take one look at his credentials (or lack thereof), laugh, and dishonorably discharge him right there. Why, oh why couldn’t the Matrix have chosen Twister as the next Prime instead? At least then the unit would have had a respectable leader that even the Council’s inspector couldn’t criticize….but no, it had chosen  _ him _ , a shy young mech who was anything but a leader. Was the Matrix playing some sort of cruel joke on them? 

Elsewhere in the base, Twister was equally concerned, and a lot more frustrated. 

“Of all the rotten timing! Of course those stuck-up, officious Council members would pick now to carry out their blasted inspection! They’ve been trying to shut us down for stellar cycles, and there’s no doubt in my mind that they chose to send out their inspector now so that they could be sure of doing just that! With a brand-new Prime and three totally green recruits, we’re sitting cyberducks!” he exclaimed. Stellar cycles of service, and  _ this _ was how the Council rewarded him? By ensuring that he would be dishonorably discharged? Silver frowned sympathetically. 

“You’re right, dear. They really couldn’t have picked a worse time….but we can’t give up hope. Maybe the Council will send an inspector who’s more concerned with integrity than in carrying out the Council’s agendas,” she said. Twister admired his conjunx endura’s optimism, but he strongly doubted that it was realistic in this case. 

“And maybe retrorats will fly,” he muttered. It wasn’t like the last few inspectors had been paragons of morality. Instead of giving the unit anything remotely approaching a proper inspection, they had instead done everything in their power to focus solely on the unit’s weaknesses and make things seem worse than they were. It was only by sheer force of will (and meticulous record keeping) on Twister’s part that the previous inspection hadn’t ended in their being shut down, and that had been with a highly experienced Prime in command of the unit. With his naive, soft-sparked, and utterly inexperienced kid brother as Prime-it still felt weird that he was now outranked by a mech many stellar cycles his junior-the inspector would have a field day. They’d barely have to try to get the unit shut down! 

“When did you become such a cynic?” Silver asked. 

“I’m not a cynic. I’m a realist. It just so happens that the reality of our situation is that you and I are going to be branded as criminals by the same army that we’ve spent our entire lives serving,” Twister replied. 

“We’ve always gotten through the inspections before, dear. The Council wouldn’t dare dishonorably discharge a war hero like you,” Silver said.

“First of all, if anyone’s discharge sparks a riot, it’ll be yours, not mine. War heroes are a decicredit a dozen, but a compassionate CMO like you? That won’t go down as easily….not that that’s ever stopped the Council before. Second, the reason we’ve gotten through the inspections before is because we had an experienced commanding officer. We don’t have that anymore. Neutron’s a great kid, but he’s also just that. A kid. If I had been chosen by the Matrix, we might’ve been able to pull it through even with the recruits, but with him in charge? Forget it,” Twister replied. Not for the first time, he wondered why the Matrix hadn’t chosen him to be the next Prime. He had served under the previous Prime for Neutron’s entire life! He’d fought countless battles and had sacrificed any semblance of a normal life in the service of the Autobots...and yet the Matrix chose his kid brother? Why? What did Neutron have that he didn’t? Didn’t the Matrix realize that Neutron, good-hearted and well-meaning though he was, wasn’t leader material? Choosing him to lead was only going to get them all dishonorably discharged, and then it would probably get the poor kid killed! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading!


	2. Shiver

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shiver gets his first chapter!   
> Also, Destruction, who's getting his first real focus in this chapter, has a form of intellectual disability, combined with ADHD. If you have either of these symptoms, or know someone who does, I would appreciate any suggestions. I wish to portray these conditions with sensitivity.

High in the Appalachian mountains, Shiver was watching nervously as the argument between General Frozen and Night grew ever more heated. The General had been absolutely furious when she had learned that Night had attacked the Autobots without her permission, and that had inevitably sparked an argument. Shiver would never have dreamed of arguing with, let alone disobeying, a terrifying warrior like the General, but Night actually seemed to enjoy doing both of those things for reasons Shiver couldn’t fathom. Wasn’t he afraid of being hurt by her? Didn’t he know that superior officers always hurt their disappointing subordinates? 

“Look,  _ ma’am _ , I didn’t get hurt and they didn’t follow me. What’s the big deal? No harm, no foul,” Night said casually. 

“The “big deal”, as you so crassly put it, is that you disobeyed the direct order of your commanding officer! To attack an enemy as defenseless as the Autobot unit on this planet is dishonorable, and by disobeying, you not only defied military protocol, but you also dishonored my reputation and the reputation of this unit,” Frozen replied. 

“Which might mean something if I was a member of this unit, but I’m not. In case you’ve forgotten,  _ ma’am _ , I’m a mercenary. When my paycheck stopped coming in, I stopped caring about this unit and your orders,” Night said. Shiver whimpered. He hated it when his superiors got angry at each other, because when they did, they were likely to take that anger out on more convenient targets, like him. 

“You are officially recorded as part of the unit. That makes you a member of it regardless of your preference on the matter,” Frozen replied sternly. 

“ _ What? _ You’re making that up! I never agreed to join the Decepticons! Part of the deal I made with Annihilator when he hired me to work for him was reserving the right to leave whenever I wanted!” Night exclaimed. In response, Frozen rose from her throne, walked over to the base’s main computer, and pulled up the unit’s roster. 

“You don’t believe me, soldier? Then see for yourself,” she said. Night joined her at the computer, then gasped and pulled away from it in horror. 

“Why, that lousy, no-good, double-crossing creep!” he exclaimed. Then he let out a series of paint-stripping profanities from a dozen different alien languages. 

“What do those words mean?” Shiver jumped at the loud voice. He had been so focused on Frozen and Night’s argument that he had completely forgotten that Destruction was also in the room. He didn’t know much about the giant, but he had done his utmost to stay away from him. Larger Decepticons were always bad news for small jets like Shiver, and he backed a few steps away from the gigantic tank. 

“T-t-they’re alien swears,” he explained nervously. No doubt the giant would take great pleasure in using them to insult him. 

“Swear words are bad. My creators said so,” Destruction replied, sounding for all the world like a young sparkling. Shiver stared at him in shock. He wasn’t fond of profanities, but every other Decepticon he’d ever met, besides Lord Annihilator and General Frozen, who had appearances to keep up, loved them. What sort of self-respecting giant Decepticon tank didn’t love vulgarity? Was it possible that Destruction wasn’t like the other Decepticons? 

“Then you d-d-don’t have to use t-t-those w-w-words,” Shiver replied after a few seconds of awkwardness. 

“Okay. Good. What’s your name?” 

“I’m Shiver,” Shiver replied. Before he could say anything more, Night stopped swearing and Shiver was cut off by General Frozen. 

“I take it that you’ve realized the ramifications of what I showed you?” she asked. Night scowled. 

“Yeah. Thanks to that treacherous piece of scrap, I’m technically an official member of the Decepticon Army, which means that if I try to leave, I’ll be branded a deserter and probably get a laser blast through the CPU,” he spat. 

“And, since I am now in charge rather than Annihilator, it also means that you will no longer be able to get away with your blatant insubordination. You are confined to your quarters and on half rations until I say otherwise….and if I catch you trying to work around that, your punishment will be much more severe. Do you understand?” Frozen replied. As if to emphasize her point, she punched him in the sensitive abdominal plating. Shiver whimpered. He didn’t want to have that happen to him again! 

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, clearly in pain. Frozen returned to her throne.

“Good. Soldiers, you are dismissed,” she ordered. Shiver immediately saluted, and then he quickly left the commander centre, Destruction and Night not far behind him. 

“Well played, General Ma’am. Well played. You win this round,” Night muttered. Shiver sighed. That wouldn’t end well, he was sure, but he planned to stay out of it. The last thing he wanted was to get caught up in some sort of duel between General Frozen and an experienced mercenary like Night. 

“Hey, where’s the little guy at?” Destruction asked loudly, causing Shiver to jump again. 

“D-d-do you m-m-mean Sonic?” he replied, realizing with some amount of surprise that he hadn’t seen the Audi in the command center at any point during the confrontation between Night and General Frozen. 

“I dunno. I can’t remember his name. I know he turns into a car, though,” Destruction said.

“D-D-Destruction, t-t-the little mech who t-t-turns into a c-c-car is named Sonic, and I d-d-don’t know w-w-where he is,” Shiver replied truthfully. Frozen had ordered the entire unit to the command center before Night had returned to the base, probably because she had wanted to ask them if they knew where Night had gone, but Night had entered and sparked an argument before she had been able to ask them about his whereabouts. Thus, neither she nor Shiver had noticed that Sonic was absent from the room until after the meeting was over. Wherever he was, though, Shiver knew that Sonic was not at Autobot Headquarters. While he didn’t seem to fear battle the way Shiver himself did, he was far more concerned with his music and his status as a, quote, “rebel without a cause” than he was with actually fighting the Autobots. 

“Oh. Okay. Ooh, what’s that over there? I’m gonna go look at it!” With that, Destruction bolted off, laughing wildly as he did so, and left Shiver alone. Shiver whimpered. As much as spending time with the other Decepticons made him nervous, being alone was even worse-because when he was alone, the monsters from his memory returned to torment him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading!


	3. Neutron

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neutron has to face his fears. 
> 
> Neutron and I both have Social Anxiety Disorder. If you struggle with similar problems and want to give suggestions, please do!

A few days later, in Eastern Kentucky, Neutron ( _ Prime _ ) watched, with an intense feeling of dread, as an Autobot spacecraft gradually descended and then landed in front of his base. As much as he wanted to believe that the Autobot Council’s inspector would approve of his unit, he knew that the likelihood of that happening was so low as to be comedic. A mech stepped out of the spaceship, and Silver gasped. 

“What is it?” Neutron whispered nervously. 

“Neutron, the Council’s Inspector is Medicus, my mentor. He and I had a falling-out early on in the conflict between Arduum and the Council, and he’s never forgiven me for it,” she replied. 

“In other words, the Council picked the perfect inspector to ensure that we’re all thrown out of the Autobot Army for good,” Twister added. Neutron had to suppress a whimper. He was going to have the most disastrous-and shortest- tenure of any Prime in history! Medicus walked over to the group and scowled. 

“All right, you lot. Who’s in charge here?” After a few seconds of wondering why Arduum Prime wasn’t responding, Neutron remembered that Arduum was dead-and was then hit by the realization that  _ he  _ was expected to answer the question. 

“Um, I-I am. Sir,” he replied awkwardly. 

“I see the rumors of your youth weren’t exaggerated,” Medicus said. 

“I’m afraid not, sir.” A few seconds of awkward silence ensued, and then Twister stepped forward. 

“We’ll show you into the base now, Medicus,” he said. Medicus narrowed his optics, but he didn’t reply. Instead, he simply followed Twister, Neutron, and the rest of the unit into the base. Once inside, Medicus scowled and turned to Twister. 

“I know you, my former apprentice, and your brother, but I’m not familiar with the others. Who are they?” he asked.

“The boatformer is Splasher, and the two minibots are Ruddish and Redina. They’re twins,” Neutron explained. He felt a surge of relief that he had managed to introduce the recruits without stammering. 

“And they’ve just been recruited, is that correct?” Medicus asked. 

“Yes, sir,” Neutron replied. 

“I see. Now, I assume you, Twister, and Silver, at least, know the drill by now. I’ll interview each member of the unit individually, and then, if you all meet the standards of the Autobot Council, I’ll inspect the base. If that also checks out, you’re free to operate for another stellar cycle. If anything isn’t up to regulation standards, you’ll all be brought back to Cybertron, where the Council will dishonourably discharge you,” Medicus said. 

“What? But that’s not fair!” Ruddish exclaimed. Neutron barely managed to hold back a groan. Although he agreed with Ruddish’s sentiment, he knew that the minibot’s accusation that the Council was being unfair would serve as yet another strike against the unit. Medicus just shook his head sadly. 

“Unfortunately for you, young one, it is not your place to decide whether or not the actions of the Council are fair,” he said. Ruddish looked like he might respond, but before he could, Redina slapped her hand over his mouth. 

“I apologize for my brother’s actions, sir,” she said, and Neutron felt a pang of guilt. Redina and her brother were both such promising young soldiers, and now they were going to be branded as criminals because he would never be able to live up to the Council’s expectations of a Prime! What would happen to them? 

“Noted. Twister, you’re first,” Medicus replied. Twister nodded and followed the inspector into an adjacent room. Neutron looked over his remaining troops. Ruddish was angry, Silver looked sadly resigned, Redina seemed confused and slightly anxious, and Splasher looked like he was about to head to his own execution. And it was his fault! Why couldn’t the Matrix have chosen Twister as leader? If it had, they wouldn’t all be facing the end of their careers! 

“Are you all right, Neutron?” Silver asked gently. 

“Yes. I’m fine,” Neutron replied. He wasn’t fine, but he was the  _ Prime _ now. He had to at least try to remain strong for his unit. 

“Well, if you ever do need me, I want you to know that I won’t think less of you for asking for help. No one can deal with the stresses of leadership entirely on their own,” Silver replied. With that, she went over to Splasher, and the two were quickly engaged in conversation. If Neutron hadn’t been so anxious, he would have smiled. At least Splasher had someone to talk to now. A few minutes later, Twister emerged from the room he and Medicus had been in.

“How was it?” Twister smiled weakly. 

“It’s me, kid. Even Medicus can’t provide a convincing way to make someone with my record seem incompetent,” he said. Neutron winced. He wished the same could be said about him. 

“Who does he want next?” he asked. 

“Silver. Get her attention, would you, kid?” Neutron nodded and waved Silver over. 

“I assume I’m up. Is that right?” 

“Yes. Good luck,” Neutron said. 

“Show Medicus what a real medic looks like,” Twister added. 

“I will, dear,” Silver replied. With that, she walked into the adjacent room, and Twister went over to the twins, presumably to provide them with advice and scold Ruddish for his earlier outburst. Neutron sighed and wondered for the hundredth time why Twister hadn’t been chosen to be the next Prime. He was a natural leader and had served as Arduum Prime’s second-in-command for stellar cycles! Why would the Matrix have picked a Prime who not only didn’t know how to lead, but who now, from all appearances, would never really even get the chance to try? 

“I am Splasher. It is nice to meet you, sir. How are you? ” Splasher’s odd voice pulled him out of his anxious ruminations. 

“As well as can be expected under the circumstances. How are you?” 

“Nervous. Conversations make me anxious. They’re not neat and organized like landscapes are, and there aren’t any guidelines for them, so I always make mistakes….and if I make a mistake this time, the inspector is sure to be displeased with me,” Splasher replied. 

“I don’t blame you for being nervous. This inspection is nerve-wracking enough for the rest of us. I can’t imagine how stressful it must be for you,” Neutron replied, trying to ignore the fact that he might be even more anxious about his own interview than Splasher seemed to be about his. He was the leader. He had to be strong, even if he didn't know how to be. 

“I don’t want to get the other members of the team in trouble, either,” Splasher said.

“Don’t worry about that, Splasher. If anyone gets the unit in trouble, it will be me, not you,” Neutron replied. As soon as the words left his mouth, Neutron wanted to kick himself. There went his attempt to stay strong for his team. 

“Why would you get the unit in trouble?” Splasher asked. Before Neutron could think of a way to answer the question, Silver returned from the adjacent room, looking more than a little frustrated. 

“How did it go?” 

“Besides Medicus’ attitude, it went well. I’m too experienced for him to make me out to be incompetent….but being unable to justify shutting down our unit because of me didn’t stop him from hurling insults at me,” she replied. Neutron frowned. 

“I’m really sorry, Silver,” he said. 

“Don’t be, Neutron. It’s not your fault that Medicus is still angry over a disagreement that happened stellar cycles ago. Oh, and he wants to see you next. Good luck….and remember that no matter what happens, your brother and I will always be there for you,” Silver replied. Neutron felt his fuel pump skip a beat. 

“Thank you,” he said. Then he walked into the room where Medicus was holding the interviews and nervously sat down across from the inspector. 

“Name?” 

“Neutron. Prime. Neutron Prime, sir.” 

“How long have you been Prime?” 

“Two...two weeks, sir. The Matrix...the Matrix...it chose me when Arduum Prime died in our most recent battle, sir,” Neutron replied, trying to ignore the fact that his anxiety was only increasing. 

“I see. How old are you, and how much experience do you have?”

“I’m a stellar cycle into my majority, sir, and I’ve been with this unit since it left for Earth,” Neutron replied, wishing he was anywhere but where he was. 

“And why did the Matrix choose you as Prime? From what I understand, you’re a very young and inexperienced mech,” Medicus asked. 

“I...I don’t know, sir,” Neutron admitted. 

“Well, far be it from me to criticize the Matrix, but it seems to me that your brother would’ve been the better choice-especially since he’s clearly commanding this unit anyway,” Medicus said coldly. 

“You’re probably right, sir, but I’ve been doing my best,” Neutron replied, fully aware of how pathetic that sounded. Medicus sighed. 

“I’m sure you have been, boy, but that’s not enough. You’re dismissed. Tell those twins to get in here,” he said. Neutron sighed.

“I will, sir.” He stumbled outside, his whole frame shaking heavily. He had failed! He hadn’t been good enough, and now, because of that, his whole unit was going to be branded as criminals! 

“He….he wants Ruddish and Redina,” he choked out. The twins nodded and quickly entered the adjacent room as Twister and Silver walked over to him. 

“Twister...Silver….I’m so sorry,” he said weakly. Silver embraced him. 

“Oh, Neutron, this isn’t your fault. You didn’t choose to get chosen as the next Prime, and it’s not your fault that the Council deliberately took advantage of your inexperience to get their revenge on Arduum’s unit. You have nothing to feel guilty for,” she said. 

“Silver’s right, little brother. If anything, it’s my fault. We should’ve told the Council I was in charge. You didn’t stand a chance of passing the inspection,” Twister added. 

“Twister! What a thing to say!” Silver exclaimed. 

“What? It’s true! Neutron’s a great kid, but he’s not a leader.” Although the words stung, Neutron knew his brother was right. Twister was the leader, not him, and because he wasn’t good enough, his brother and Silver and the recruits would lose their futures! 

“You mean, he’s not a leader yet. The Matrix wouldn’t have chosen him to be the next Prime if he didn’t have potential,” Silver said. Before anyone could respond, Ruddish and Redina walked into the room, followed by Medicus himself.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but your unit has passed the inspection,” Medicus said. Twister, Neutron, and Silver stared at him in shock. 

“And I can’t believe I’m asking this….but why?” Silver asked. Redina smiled. 

“Do you remember when you told us that history can be a powerful weapon, Twister sir?” 

she asked. 

“Of course, soldier. Why?” 

“Because you were right, sir. When Inspector Medicus asked us who we were, Ruddish told him that we were the creations of Swift, a soldier who was KIA at the Battle of the Rust Sea whilst protecting a medic and his patients….and it just so happens that Medicus was the medic that he saved,” Redina explained. Medicus nodded. 

“I owe Swift my life. I can hardly allow his creations to be branded as criminals, so I’m clearing your unit to continue operating. I only hope that you don’t end up regretting my choice,” he said. With that, he left the base, and Neutron felt an enormous weight lift off of his shoulders. 

“We...we passed!” he exclaimed. Splasher, who had been anxiously rocking in a corner, looked up in surprise. 

“We did?” 

“You bet we did!” Ruddish exclaimed. 

“Oh, good. Do...do I still have to be interviewed?”

“No, you don’t,” Neutron replied. Splasher looked immensely relieved, which matched how Neutron felt. Even though he was young and inexperienced, his unit was going to be allowed to continue operating! This was wonderful! 

“See, Twister? I knew things would turn out all right,” Silver teased. Twister tried to scowl, but he couldn’t put much effort into it. 

“Don’t you start that, medic,” he said. Silver laughed and turned to Neutron. 

“You know, it was your decision to send us to Cybertron to look for new recruits. If you hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t have passed, because Ruddish and Redina wouldn’t have been here,” she said. Neutron looked at her in shock for a few seconds, and then smiled. Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance that he might become a good leader someday. 

Meanwhile, in the Appalachian Mountains, Sonic was driving around playing rock music when, out of nowhere, a bright pink Cybetronian spaceship covered in glitter landed in front of him. A few seconds later, the hatch opened, and something stepped out. 

“Hi there, cutie pie. Would you mind directing a lost little female to the Decepticon base on this planet?” Sonic looked at the beautiful newcomer, his stereo blared “I ain’t ready….crazy little thing called love”, and he knew that he had found his muse. 

**To be continued….**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Jewel makes her debut! 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading. More stories in this series will hopefully be forthcoming.


End file.
